‘Boof^ 14 .

Natural Mag ick.

That Birds may grow tender.

If you hang chose in Moon-Iighr, that were killed in the night, they will grow moretender by boiling : For the Moon hath great vertue to make flesh tender, for it isbut a kind of corruption. Therefore wood, cut by Moon-light, will sooner growrotten, and fruit sooner grow ripe. Daphnis the Physician in jtthenatu.

Chap. IV.

How Shtll-creatfires may grow more tender.

B Eforel en Jtospeak of ways to make flesh more render; It will not be amiss tomake Crabs tender, and by another way then 1 shew'd before. How we maymake

(frab-ststi tende ■ (hel'd .

At Rome they do so, and it becomes pleasant and excellent meat for Noble men 5Tables. 1 speak of those Crabs bred in fresh waters : For ic Venice I have eatenthem that bred naturally tender ic falt-waiers ; they call them commonly Mollecas:but they are not so sweet , as they arc made at Rome 5 and they ask a Julius apiece.The way is, in the Moncrh- of June, fuly, jdugu[t } and September, the Crabs use tocast their shels, and put off their old coat; at that time fifher-men search about thebanks of Rivers, where they findtbeir holes and caves half stept, and by that theykn- wtheime is come to cast their shells; for the more their (hells grow tender, themore they shut up their holes. They grow tender first about the feet, and by de-grees it ascends over their whole bodies. When they have taken them, they bringthem home, and put them every one in several earthen pots; and they put in wa-ter, that it may cover half their bodies, and so they let them remain eight or tendays, changing the water every day , and their (hells will grow more tender everyday. When it is all soft, that it is transparent as Crystal, they fry them with butterand milk, and bring them to the fable. So

' Snails grow tender.

We must do as we did to Crabs, for they cast their shells as Crabs do: and Naturedid this for some end; scr when their shells are grown too thick and weighty, theycan scarce crawl; wherefore by the excrements that go into it, that are consumedto make a new shell within, the former that was made is broken, and falls off.

Chap. V.

That living Creatures may be made more fat and well tasted,

I Shall endeavour to strew how living Creatures may be made more fat and well ta-sted , that we may set more savory meats before our guests. The Aniients werenot negligent in this matter - Wherefore you (hall find many ways, net onciy arnenglt Cooks,but such as write concerning Husbandry. Liccorish Gluttons foundcuc the ways to fat Cattle, that they might feed on them more plentifully and dain-tily. Hence they called them cram’d, because they were full fed, and had gross bel-lies Those were called Bird pens, where they fatted all forts of Birds. Kffl. LelwStrabo., was the fiist that appointed this; and be appoir ted Crammers to take careof them, and ordered how much every crammed bird should ear. They wtll fatbetter in winter than in summer, because Birds at that time of the year are best, be-ing no; so mi ch wasted with yong; and Cocks will fat better then Hens , and such83 never trod nor made,eggs. In summer, when it is at an end, and the sowre Grape*hang y et upon the Vines, they ate at the best. I sl>all therefore teach

How Hens and other Birds must be crammed.

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